The Doctor's Journey
by The Odd Man
Summary: The 10th Doctor finds himself stranded in the world of Pokemon.  He embarks on a journey to find out more about this world and to find a way back to his own world.
1. Chapter 1: Stranded

Traditional disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or Pokémon. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction about them.

This story takes place right before "Voyage of the Damned" and at the beginning of Fire Red/Leaf Green. I'll try to explain the canon of the Pokémon games as I see it as I go along.

The Doctor stood in his TARDIS, thoroughly unsure of what to do next. Martha Jones was gone, and the Fifth Doctor had just vanished from his inexplicable visit through time. The Doctor halfheartedly flicked a switch. Perhaps he'd go visit Midnight, that fascinating diamond planet, or look up that one woman he'd met last Christmas… Donna, was it? A voice, halfway gone and halfway there, interrupted the Doctor's thoughts.

_And Doctor… do remember to put your shields up._

The Tenth Doctor rushed for the shield controls, but before he could reach them, the TARDIS gave a mighty lurch. He was sent staggering around the controls, trying to fix the situation, but a massive explosion from the core lifted him off his feet and slammed him against the wall. He struggled to his feet and lunged for the console.

"No, no, no, no, NO!" he cried with increasing desperation, flailing to fix anything that he could. Unfortunately, the scope of 'anything that he could fix' apparently did not encompass the rapid descent of the TARDIS out of the time vortex. A tremendous crash once again unseated the Doctor as the time rotor dimmed and went out.

"It can't be," breathed the Doctor, staring at the dark column. "Not again, I can't do this again!" He seized one of the display monitors, then groaned. "The time vortex, gone. I'm stranded out of time, and I'll be lucky this time if I find a parallel Earth."

The Doctor opened the doors of the TARDIS to find himself next to a large building in a small town.

"Well, I'm somewhere at any rate. I'm in Pallet Town," he read off a nearby sign. "That would be a brilliant piece of information if I had any idea what it meant. You sir," he called to a man standing nearby, "sorry, bit of an idiot, can you tell me where exactly Pallet Town is?"

"What, did you just Fly here from Johto or something?" the man said. "You're in the region of Kanto. If you're lost, try talking to Professor Oak. He usually helps Pokémon trainers start their journeys."

"I'm sorry, I'm from… er… quite a bit out of town, what are Pokémon, exactly?" The Doctor shrugged in response to the man's incredulous look.

"You'll want to talk to the Professor," the man said dismissively. The Doctor shrugged again and entered the laboratory.

"Right, I'm the Doctor," said the Doctor to an elderly gentleman, flashing his psychic paper, "on a scientific mission to speak with Professor Oak."

"I am Professor Oak," the man said bewilderedly. "But I don't remember being told any other doctors or scientists would be visiting today. Please, sit down and let's discuss the matter."

Soon, Professor Oak was explaining the world of Pokémon to the Doctor, believing him to be an out-of-country traveler trying to find out about the mysterious Pokémon of the Kanto region.

"…And so we live together in harmony," Oak continued.

"Hang on," the Doctor said, "but everyone here captures Pokémon to be used in battles? Doesn't that seem a bit, I dunno, immoral?"

"Battles are what keeps Pokémon strong and experienced. Battling also builds that lifelong bond between Pokémon and trainer."

"But they're sentient beings. That sounds like a mixture of slavery and cockfighting."

"I assure you, battling is perfectly safe. Pokémon may faint during battle, but they can always be revived after a friendly battle."

"They faint? So what, Pokémon keep fighting with their all for their trainers until they literally are knocked out from exhaustion?"

"Precisely."

The Doctor looked appalled. "Show me a Pokémon," he demanded. Oak got up and showed the Doctor to a nearby table.

"Normally, I keep three Pokémon – Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle – here for trainers to take on their journeys. But I've given them all away now. I still have one left, but it's a little temperamental."

"Show me," the Doctor insisted. Professor Oak sighed, and retrieved a Poké Ball with a small lightning bolt seal on it.

"This is Pikachu," he said, and handed the ball to the Doctor.

"This would be a Poké Ball, then?" he asked. Oak nodded. The Doctor tossed it up experimentally. "You know, what I don't understand is how you can have all this wonderful technology and still have tiny little towns and still travel around on foot and on bikes. I mean, this is brilliant technology, to be able to store a living being as energy, that must take a massive containment field. And you mass-produce these, and everyone gets their own personal computer boxes to store dozens of Pokémon at a time. Who's developing all this?"

"Bill – he's near Cerulean City now – invented the Pokémon storage system, but the Poké Balls came from Apricorns, fruits now found mainly in Johto."

"But you said that Johto was still a developing region, and hadn't yet connected with Kanto. How are they being distributed and mass-produced?"

"Silph Co., I'm afraid, is responsible. They harvested practically every Apricorn in Kanto. They managed to synthesize the technology, but Apricorns are now extinct in this region."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said the Doctor. He then seemed to snap back on the previous subject. "Now, I've been sidetracked, this Pikachu, let's see it." The Doctor activated the Poké Ball, and a beam of light shot out. On the table, a yellow creature appeared.

"Pika?" it cried.

"Fascinating," the Doctor breathed. "So this is a Pokémon. Could I study this one?"

"Certainly," the professor said. "After all, he's yours now."

"What?" spluttered the Doctor. "No, no, no, that's not what I meant, I didn't want to become a trainer, I'm just here for research. I can't take that with me, it'll just raise too many questions."

"Well, I think it's time you did some field research," Oak said with a smile. "Now, you'll want a Pokédex for your studies, to catalog the Pokémon you come across. Oh, and you'll want a town map, since you're new."

"Wait, I –" the Doctor tried to protest, but Professor Oak had already given him his materials, shown him out, and shut the door. The Doctor looked at his new companion.

"Pi, Pikachu," said the Pokémon excitedly.

"All right," the Doctor said resignedly. "Pikachu, looks like you're coming with me. Let's have a look at the TARDIS."


	2. Chapter 2: The Journey Begins

"Argh! Stop doing that!" yelled the Doctor. He was down in the bowels of the TARDIS' machinery, trying fervently to find some living power cell still left in it, and he had just been shocked by Pikachu again. "I'm having a bad enough time without you zapping me every five seconds!"

He crawled back out of the depths, a look of despair etched on his face. "Nothing. Not even a spark." Pikachu perked up at this. "No, not an electrical spark, the TARDIS doesn't run on electricity, it runs on the energy of my universe. I need power to still be flowing somewhere from my world so I can charge it back up, but without that, I'm stranded." The Doctor pulled the Pokédex out of his pocket. "I suppose I might as well figure out how to get by in this world; if I travel around a while, maybe I can still find a way back." He pointed his sonic screwdriver at the Pokédex. From the blue fisheye lens, a menu shot up. The Doctor hesitantly touched the icon that read, "Pokémon." Another screen of six slots replaced the menu. An image of his Pikachu filled the first slot. Pressing that image brought up a listing of Pikachu's stats and moves. The Doctor closed this menu and went back to the first, then selected "Pokédex."

"Dex, why is the Pokédex blank?" the Doctor asked. "I unlocked the full potential of this device. Even, I suspect, features I wasn't supposed to see. Now why can't I see any Pokémon data?"

"This data is locked," the Pokédex replied simply. "Pokémon data must be gathered in the field."

"What, you mean I don't get to prepare to encounter these wild creatures?"

"Correct."

"Well, that's just unhelpful." The Doctor gestured to Pikachu. The Pokémon was still hesitant about this new trainer, but after seeing the interior of the TARDIS, was more inclined to follow this seemingly powerful man. Pikachu leapt onto the Doctor's shoulder. The Doctor seemed a little surprised, but after looking at the electric Pokémon, he smiled.

"You know, you are magnificent," he said, almost in wonder. "You Pokémon… not like I haven't seen things like that before. But friendly ones, let alone a hundred and fifty species in one region, now that's fascinating. No wonder all the professors here study you."

The Doctor had been striding out of the TARDIS as he said this; therefore, he wasn't looking when he collided headlong with a boy with spiky brown hair and a black shirt.

"Hey, watch it!" the boy snapped. "Do you know who I am?"

"No, should I?" the Doctor said, a bit frazzled.

"I'm Blue, Professor Oak's grandson. And I'm going to become the greatest Pokémon master in history!"

"Oh? And what Pokémon do you have?"

"I was about to show you – after all, you bumped into me, and my new Pokémon is ready to go. I challenge you to a battle!"

"Er… no thanks."

"Sorry, there's no running from a trainer battle. If you're a coward, you'll never make it as a trainer. Go, Squirtle!" Blue threw a Poké Ball, and there was a flash of white light. A turtle-like creature, with light blue skin, appeared and assumed a battle stance.

"Well, have at it, Pikachu," the Doctor said with a shrug. Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and landed in a ready stance of his own.

"Squirtle, use Tackle!" The Doctor frantically fiddled with the Pokédex as Squirtle charged.

"Use Thundershock, Pikachu!" As Squirtle rammed Pikachu, the electric Pokémon's body crackled with electricity. Both Pokémon flew backwards, Pikachu from inertia and Squirtle from the shock. Pikachu got to its feet, but Squirtle stayed down. The Doctor looked appalled at what he'd done.

"I'm so sorry, is that Pokémon all right?" he asked.

"Of course he's all right," snapped Blue. "You just got lucky using that Pikachu; Electric types are just naturally better against Water types. Next time I see you, I'll be ready!" Blue recalled his Squirtle in a flash of red, tossed a handful of money at the Doctor, and raced away on Route 1 just as Professor Oak came out of his lab.

"Doctor, I saw your first battle from the window," he said. "I must say, your compassion and concern for Pokémon is intriguing. I think, with that kind of care, you could become a Pokémon master in time."

"I still don't understand," the Doctor said. "Look, I electrocuted that Squirtle. Its heart should have stopped, but it only fainted."

"Well, of course," said Oak. "Pokémon moves that have been classified and named are all non-lethal. Poison types only use weakening and tranquilizing venom, electric types only use stunning amounts of voltage, and so forth. Over the years, Pokémon's instincts have changed so that they don't attack trainers or kill Pokémon in battle."

"Well… all right. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Believe me, you slip and mention indoor plumbing once, and then everything goes mad."

"Oh, you'll need a few Poké Balls," Oak interjected, apparently not paying attention. "I forgot that you don't have any of our currency."

"Actually, I think I do." The Doctor held up the money Blue had thrown at him. "Your grandson gave me these. Er… why did he give me these?"

"It's considered common courtesy to give the victor of the battle winnings after the battle." Oak handed the Doctor five Poké Balls. "Is there anything else I've forgotten?"

"Is there any way you could bypass the lock system on this Pokédex? I need to know what types of Pokémon I'll be facing."

"No, no, all my researchers fill their Dexes by themselves. It's that feeling of exploration that makes the Pokédex project so successful."

"All right, then I suppose I'm off. Pikachu… _alllons-y._" He proffered his shoulder, which Pikachu climbed back on. The Doctor headed north, leaving his TARDIS behind and embarking on a new journey.


	3. Chapter 3: A New Companion

"Well, we're off on a Pokémon journey! We're going to be the most powerful team in the world, right, buddy?"

"Char!"

The grass on Route 1 rustled with the footsteps of Pokémon Trainer Red. Hitching his item pack up higher on his back, he smiled at his Charmander.

"And I'm gonna catch 'em all. The best trainer in the Pokémon League... Red."

"THERE IT IS!"

A shout from behind caused Red to spin around in alarm. A man in a blue pinstripe suit was running towards him, a Pikachu hot on his heels. An Abra was sitting between them, the lingering sparks in the air indicating that it had just Teleported there.

"All right. This time, don't move." The man hurled a Poké Ball at the Abra. The ball rocked once, twice, three times... and clicked. The stranger punched the air, a contagious grin plastered on his face.

"Finally! That little devil's been running me ragged." He picked up the Poké Ball and looked at it fondly.

"Did you want to nickname that Abra?" said Red.

"You can name them?" The man's look of wonder was almost childlike. "Well, no question, then, you're Alonso the Abra."

"Wait... Abras don't normally come all the way out here," Red pointed out.

"Well, if I had to guess, I would say that this helped." The man pulled a blank piece of paper from his pocket. "Based on the teleportation, I would say this psychic paper attracted little Alonso here. ...I'm the Doctor, by the way. And you are?"

"Red." Red stared at the Doctor for a few seconds, taking him in.

"Say, Red, where are you going?"

"Viridian City. I just started my trip. How about you?"

"I'm trying to find my way home."

"I've got a map. Where's your home?"

"Oh, much farther than your map shows." The Doctor's smile almost faltered for a moment, betraying a glimpse of wistfulness. "Well, might as well start my journey with a companion anyway. To Viridian City, then."

Within a few minutes, Red and the Doctor had arrived. A man wearing a long black coat was talking to a jittery old man. The man in the coat left, and the man immediately accosted the two newcomers.

"Hello, hello! I've just had my coffee, and boy, am I wired! Let me show you around town." The old man dragged the two to a red-roofed building. "This is the Pokémon Center, where you can heal your Pokémon for free." He next took them to a blue building. "This is the Pokémon Mart, where you can buy Items for your Pokémon." Then they went north to a larger building. "And this is the Viridian Gym. Young trainers visit the gyms to test their strength and earn badges! Hardly anyone knows who the Gym Leader of Viridian is, but they do know that this is the toughest Gym in Kanto."

The Doctor was about to turn away from the Gym, but a sound from inside made him stop for a moment. There had been an oddly familiar noise, something mechanical or electronic.

"Excuse me." The Doctor cleared his head of the sound and took an old, cracked floppy disk out of his pocket. "What is this? I found it near Pallet Town, and it's labeled TM46."

"Ooh, that's an old version of a Technical Machine," the old man explained. "This is what we used to use to teach Pokémon new moves, but they've been replaced by compact discs now." He produced a rusted case, in which he slotted the TM. "Here, this one's Psywave. See if it still works."

The Doctor released Alonso from its Poké Ball with a white flash. He took the case, pointed it in the Abra's direction, and pressed the faded Play button.

"Alonso learned Psywave!" announced the Pokédex from the Doctor's hip.

"...That's it?" the Doctor said in surprise. "It just knows another technique now?"

"Yup," said the old man. "Silph Co. developed the Technical Machines for a select list of moves so that more Pokémon could learn them than they could naturally."

The travelers turned away from the old man. Red watched the Doctor scanning the now-useless disk with his sonic screwdriver.

"What's that thing?" asked Red.

"Screwdriver," replied the Doctor shortly. "Fascinating. The frequency on this disk was precisely matched with Alonso's brainwaves. That's brilliant. …But I'm starting to trust these Silph Co. people less and less every minute."

"Silph Co. is nothing to worry about," Red assured him. "They've been making our lives easier for years, nothing bad comes from them."

"Oh, I'm sure," the Doctor said ominously. "So, where are we headed next?"

Red consulted his map. "Viridian Forest."

"A forest? Good. I love forests. Always something exciting, something lurking in the shadows…. Well, let's go, then!"


	4. Chapter 4: The Pikachu and the Wasp

"You know what I said about forests being exciting?" the Doctor said to Red after fifteen Caterpies, four Metapods, twelve Weedles, and six Kakunas had blocked their path. "I take it back."

"Oh, come on, Doctor," Red sighed, "it's not about exciting battles, it's about raising your Pokémon so you can beat the Gyms. Just look at how strong Charmander has gotten! And your Pikachu, and Alonso!"

"It's just odd, I thought for sure we would see more diversity. There are a hundred and fifty species in this region, and only four live here? It's a forest, for Pete's sake, one of the most diverse biomes on Ea... On the planet."

"It's not just four. Where do you think your Pikachu came fro- WAIT!" Red sprang off after something yellow that had dashed behind some trees. He cornered it to face a wild Pikachu, which looked nervous but ready for battle.

"You can do it, Charmander!" Red called, throwing his Poké Ball out. "Use Ember!" Small flames shot from Charmander's mouth and hit the wild Pikachu. It recovered and sent a weak jolt of electricity at Charmander. The Fire Pokémon didn't look hurt, but it shuddered and started moving oddly.

"Oh no, Charmander was paralyzed!" Red moaned. "Man, this Pikachu is tough. Charmander, try to use Ember again!" This time, Pikachu didn't look as well off. It sent another jolt at Charmander, but the electricity had no effect – clearly, it had tried to use Thunder Wave again.

"Good job, Charmander. Now to catch this Pikachu!" Red threw a Poké Ball at the weakened Pikachu. It rocked three times and came to a stop. "Yeah, I got it!"

The Doctor clapped Red on the shoulder. "Well done! And more importantly, look over there." He gestured to Red's right, where a large gateway building was visible through a break in the trees. "Looks like an exit to me."

In the stretch of road between the forest and Pewter City, the Doctor noticed a tall fence, and a small tree, that were blocking the path to something more interesting.

"What's in that cave over there, I wonder?" the Doctor mused.

"Dunno," Red replied. "But it doesn't look like we can go that way. Come on."

"It's just a fence. Look, there's a gap where that tree is. Bet we could get in that way."

"Not without the move Cut."

"What? Why can't your Charmander burn it down, or Scratch it apart?"

"Look, I don't know, you're the Doctor here. All I know is we can't go through there. Let's just go to Pewter City."

The Doctor shrugged, writing it off as just another strange quirk of this place, and followed Red. Pewter City was another peaceful place, full of activity. Of course, the first place Red and the Doctor made a beeline for was the Pokémon Center.

"Hey, I'm just going to train my new Pikachu in Viridian Forest for a while," said Red after their Pokémon had been healed. "You coming?"

"Back to that place? I doubt it," the Doctor sighed. He then sat down to relax for a moment as Red left.

"What?! Team Rocket is at Mt. Moon?" an obviously shocked man barked near the door. The Doctor looked puzzled. He was about to talk to the man when someone in a dark coat tried the same thing. "Huh? I'm on the phone! Scram!" yelled the man on the phone. The other person promptly scrammed out of the Pokémon Center, and the Doctor sat back.

"Who's Team Rocket?" the Doctor said to the boy next to him, before noticing that the boy's Jigglypuff had just put him to sleep. "Oh, never mind."

Soon, the Doctor decided he was bored. He strolled out of the Pokémon Center, but instead of heading north to see more of the city, he started south, back to the forest. He had just reached the gateway building when he heard a scream from the forest.

"That sounded like Red," the Doctor muttered in alarm.

"Run, Pikachu!" the voice called.

"Oh! I was right," the Doctor said with a slight grin, breaking into a run.

Red was having his first really tough battle. A Beedrill had found him and was attacking furiously. Fortunately, Pikachu had just dodged Fury Attack and retaliated with a Thundershock. The Beedrill shook it off and was about to attack again when the Doctor showed up.

"Oh, come on, now it gets exciting?" the Doctor complained, readying Alonso's Poké Ball.

"Doctor, behind you!" Red called. The Doctor whirled around to find another Beedrill bearing down on him.

"_Allons-y_, Alonso!" he cried, sending out the Psychic Pokémon. "Come on, let's see a good Psywave!" The Abra emitted a weak wave of psychic energy that sent the Beedrill reeling. However, it wasn't enough to stop it from coming back with a Fury Attack that struck Alonso four times, leaving him badly hurt.

"Alonso, go ahead and get out of there," said the Doctor, withdrawing his Abra and sending out Pikachu instead. He backed up as Pikachu dodged another Fury Attack; The Doctor and Red were fighting back-to-back now.

"Pikachu, use Thundershock," instructed the Doctor. "What are these things?"

"Pikachu, hit it with a Quick Attack! They're Beedrills, they evolve from Kakuna."

"Wait a minute; my Pikachu doesn't know Quick Attack."

"You weren't training."

Both Pikachus' attacks landed at the same time. Luckily, both Beedrills collapsed from the strain, defeated. Though the companions' Pokémon were weakened by the fight, they looked a little better off now that it was over.

"And now you can use Quick Attack," the Doctor remarked to Pikachu as he heard a notification sound from his Pokédex. "I take back my… taking back. The forest is exciting after all."

"A little too exciting," Red said in agreement. "How're your Pokémon holding up?"

"Oh, they did a brilliant job. But that is the last giant wasp I want to see for a long time."

"Tell me about it. I don't understand – the Pokémon in the forest shouldn't be strong enough to evolve."

The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the fallen Beedrills, along with the surrounding area. "Well, I don't see anything out of place, just ordinary radio waves and things like that. But these Beedrills are definitely wild and from around here."

"Come on, Doctor, let's go before they come to," Red urged. The pair headed back to Pewter City, feeling confident and ready to face the Gym challenge.


End file.
